Boot or shoe lacing



(No Model.)

4 H; 0, WHYMAN.

BOOT 0R SHOE LAGING.

Patented Nov. 3, 1896.

m 1/ W ru l n m m m. m 5, 0 o:-- a :0::o 7 @Y 1 \M A l 4 Q N 6 6 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

HORATIO O. VHYMAN, OF NORFOLK, NEBRASKA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH TO EVERETT A. HOUSTON, OF NIOBRARA, NEBRASKA.

BOOT OR SHOE LACING.

SPECIFICATION formingpartof Letters Patent No. 570,585, dated November 3, 1896.

Application filed January 3, 1896. Serial No. 574,240. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HORATIO O. WHYMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Norfolk, in the county of Madison and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boot or Shoe Lacings; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. 7

This invention relates to lacings for wearing-apparel, but more particularly to lacings for boots and shoes, and has for its object to provide means whereby a boot, shoe, or other article may be easily and quickly laced or unlaced without the inconvenience and annoyance which usually attend the lacing of such articles.

A further object is to provide a simple and efficient lacing which may be applied to boots and shoes provided with the usual eyeletholes and hooks for engaging and tying the ordinary shoestrin gs and to dispense with the usual tie or fastenings such as have been heretofore employed.

The invention consists in an improved 1acing and in the method of applying the same, all as will be hereinafter more particularly described, with reference to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and then pointed out in the claims at the end of the description.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a perspective fragmentary view of a portion of a laced shoe, illustrating one method of arranging the lace so as to secure the contiguous edges of the vamp together in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective fragmentary view of the vamp, showing the position of the lace with the loop therein before passing the same around the hooks. Fig. 3 is a detail view of one form of clip or frictional engaging device which may be employed for holding that part of the lace or string which may not engage the eyes or hooks. Fig. 4 is a detail elevation of a clamp or device which may be employed for rigidly securing one end of the lace when an endless lace is not used. Fig. 5 is a perspective fragmentary view of a portion of a laced shoe,

illustrating a modification of the arrangement shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7 represent a plan and an edge .view, respectively, of a securing device or tension-clip which may be used in place of one of the ordinary hooks.

In the drawings, A may denote the vamp of a shoe or boot or other article having two members Ct a, the contiguous edges 'of which are to be fastened together and provided with eyelet-holes d and hooks a all of which may be of the usual or of any preferred construction and arranged in any desired manner.

B denotes a lace or-string, which may have one of its ends rigidly secured near the upper edge of the member 0!. of the vamp or other part thereof by a clamp or securing device, such as is shown at b, (bestshown in Fig. 4,) though the said end of the lace may be passed around and secured to the other end thereof to form an endless lace, or it may be secured directly to the shoe or held thereto simply by frictional engagement therewith. The end 6 of the lace, as shown in Fig. 1, is first passed downward, in lacing the shoe, on the inner surface of the vamp and out through the lowermost eye in the member a, then over and across the vamp and in through the lowermost eye in the member Ct, then across on the under surface of the vamp to the next succeeding eye on the member a, and so on successively until the last eye is reached on the member a. now formed or left of suliicient size to pass around the series of hooks a and the end I) is then passed through the last eye in the memberaand along the inner surface of said member through the frictional securing de vice or clip 12 which may be arranged near the upper edge of the member a; but it is obvious that both the clamp b and the frictional device or clip 5 may be dispensed with, or the end 12? of the lace may be slipped through an opening or slit in the shoe, the friction exerted on the lace by passing the same through the series of eyes being sufficient to prevent its ends or slack portion from being pulled through said eyes when laced. The loop I) may be now passed from the upper eye in the member ct around the lowermost hook of the member a and then back and around the next upper hook on the member a, and so on, di-

A loop (shown in Fig. 2) is agonall y crossing from hook' to hook until the uppermosthook on the member a is reached, around which the lace is passed, then across and around the uppermost hook on the member a, then down and around the next lower hook on the member to until the lowermost hook on the member ais reached, the lacing thus crossing diagonally between the hooks in the usual manner. The slack in the loop may now be taken up and the lace drawn taut by pulling on the end or part 11 so that the contiguous edges of the members of the vamp may be drawn closely together or sufficiently tight for comfort or to permit proper movement of the foot.

I thus provide a lacing which dispenses entirely with the necessity. of tying or forming a knot in the ends or' other portions of the lace, at. the sametime providing a. simple and convenient means for securing the contiguousedges'of the members of the vamp,which will not become detached and which may be rigi'dlyh'eld in whatever position it is placed by the friction which is exerted on said lace: by the eyes and the hooks, and instead of tightly drawing the edges of the vamp together at the top', as is'usual' in tying a shoe, sufli'eient separation is afforded to give comfort and ease at this point.

Instead of arranging the lace: as shown in Figs; 1 and 2' I may pass the end 19 thereof. through a suitable clip 19 Fig; 5,. and then downward on the under side of the member a and out through the eye next to th'elower-- most eye: on said member, then over and through the nextl'owest eyeleton the member' a, then diagonally across: the under surface ofthe vamp to: the next upper eyelet of the member cd'a'n d out thereof over to thenext opposite eye-let, and so on until the last. eye on the member a" is reached, whereupon a loop is formed similar tothat shown in Fig. 2, the end 19 being now passed through the uppermost eyelet of the member at and then across on the under side of the vamp and out through the lowest eyelet of the" member a, then across and in through the lowermost eye: oi the member a, and then: up" the insideof the: vamp through a. suitable clip b and secured to the other end of the lace. The loop may be passed around theho'oks ina manner similar to that heretofore described, and the excess or slack may be taken up by drawing directly on the end b or on the lowest loopor cross-lace If, this slack being itself taken up by means of the end b of said lace. In this and in the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the: loop 19 may be released from the hooks by simply reversingthe' operation of securing or drawing the edges ofv the members aa together, so that the shoe or other article may be readily removed.

Figs. 6- and 7 illustrate a tension deviceby which I may use an endless lace somewhat shorter" than those shown in Figs, 1 and 5. I

preferably provide a plate or other suitable securing device 0 inthe place of one of the hooks, provided with an upward-ly-proj ectin g portion 0', to which a hook c is eccentrically pivoted, as at 0 said hook being preferably U-shaped, so that when the lace is passed through said hook the tension of the lace will hold the hook in the-position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 7, and thereby prevent the loop from disengagement therefrom without tilt: ing the said hook on its pivot. There is in this case just sufficient material in the loop to pass around the hooks to secure the edges of the members of the vamp together, the loose portionof the loop-after passing around the hooks, as heretofore described, being passed through said hook, whereupon the hook may be thrown to the position shown in idotted lines and, owing to its eccentric arrangement, will take up the slack and draw ianrd. hold the: contiguous edges of the members of the vamp together;

By lacing theshoe inthe: man'nerdescri-bed a loop is formed for engagement with the hooks and securing. the edges" of thervamp together without requiring a tie or any kind offastening,it being simply necessary to: take up the slack in the manner hereinbeforeindicated after having passed the loop around or about the several: hooks in the seriesiin the manner substantially as described, and in removing the shoe it isionliy necessaryto draw slightly upon that. one of: the overlaced or crossed pieces of the lacing which directly connects with the frictionally-engaged' end b or'other part of the lace adapted to beeasi l y drawnont, to provide sufiicient slack (in a tightly-laced shoe) toper- Emit thehooks to: be disengaged, so that the ,:vamp of the shoem ay be opened or its members spread apart for'the removal or insertion of the foot an expeditious and convenient manner, thus avoiding: theinconvenience and annoyance which results" from the necessity of tying the usual strings or'connecti'ng. the ends thereof bysome sort of fastening device, as has heretofore; been proposed, and also avoiding the annoyance and inconvenience which results from a shoerbecomin'g untiedor IIO unfasten'ed, the method of lacing in my improvement being such that the friction be tween the lace and hooks and eyes is sufficient to maintain a fast held without using any special fastening device or tying the strings. The appearance: of the shoe when laced is also much. improved, and the time required in: removing and replacing a shoe is greatly lessened. \Vhen the shoe. has been removed, the loop formed by disengaging the books, as in Fig. 2', simply drops over, ready to: be again engaged with the-hooks? when the shoe is replaced.

In that modification in which: the tension device is used an endless lacing: is provided which may be passed more or-less' loosely around the hooks, are as to give greater or less ease or flexibility, as. may be desired, particularly when used by persons desiring a comparatively loose lacing, and inunlacing it is only necessary to turn the clip upon its pivot to disengage a portion of the loop,

whereupon sufficient slack will be afforded to permit the looped portion of the lace to be easilyand quickly disengaged from the hooks.

In those embodiments of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, as will be observed, the appearance is given-even in case the lace or string is made fast at one end, as in Fig. 1, and frictionally engaged with the shoe at the other-of an endless lace or string passing through the eyelets in overlaced style, or with cross-lacin g, from the lower eyelets to the hooks and thence by cross-lacing engagement with the hooks to the uppermost pair of hooks, which latter are connected by a crosspiece or loop, so that sufficient flexibility is afforded at this point to prevent the usual binding and discomfort which result from tying the shoe with strings according to the common practice.

It will be understood, of course, that the method of lacing or passing the lace through the eyes may be varied in many ways for securing the looped portion which is ultimately to serve as the means for fastening the shoe by engagement with the hooks, and without disturbing the lacing through the eyes when the'shoe is either removed or replaced, the securing of such a loop for use in the manner indicated being the essential feature of the improvement.

In unlacing the form shown in Fig. 1 slack is obtained for releasing the loop by first drawing slightly on the cross-piece diagonally connecting the upper left eye with the lower right hook, while with the form shown in Fig. 5 the loop or cross-piece connecting the two lower eyes should be first slightly drawn out.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. A boot or shoe having a series of eyelets arranged along the contiguous edges of its vamp and a series of hooks arranged along said edges above said eyelets, as is usual, and provided with a frictional securing device or clamp on its vamp, with a lacing having a loop of sufficient length to engage said series of hooks in the usual manner of crosslacing a shoe and leave a slack, and having a portion extending from one leg of said loop through an upper eyelet and thence through other eyelets in the usual manner of overlacing, and having a portion extending from the other leg of said loop through an opposite upper eyelet; whereby when the shoe is applied to the foot the loop may be made to engage the series of hooks by passing alternately from hook to hook on opposite sides of the vamp and may be tightened about the hooks and held taut by drawing upon the latter portion of the lacing and by its engagement with said securing device, substantially as described.

2. Aboot or shoe having a series of eyelets arranged along the contiguous edges of its vamp and a'series of hooks arranged along said edges above said eyelets, as is usual, and provided with a frictional securing device or clamp on the vamp, and with a lacing having a loop of sufficient length to engage said series of hooks in the usual manner of crosslacing a shoe and leave a slack, and having a portion extending from one leg of said loop through an upper eyelet and thence through other eyelets in the usual manner of overlacing, and having a portion extending from the other leg of said loop through an opposite upper eyelet, thence through other lower eyelets; whereby when the shoe is applied to the foot the said loop maybe made to engage the series of hooks by passing alternately from hook to hook on opposite sides of the vamp and may be tightened about the hooks and be held taut by drawing upon the latter portion of the lace and by its engagement with said securin g device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HORATIO O. WHYMAN.

IVitnesses:

T. W. TYRER, CHARLES E. RIoRDoN. 

